Mediterranean Versus Western Type of Diet – Which is the Winner?

In today’s increasingly modern world, our busy schedule is making us choose diet pattern that are considered most times unhealthy. There are two major diet patterns in the world at present. The Mediterranean diet pattern and the Western diet pattern. While world is gradually moving towards the Mediterranean food type because of its immense health benefits, the Western diet has been identified as the major cause of chronic diseases now prevalent in Western cultures and other places including Africa where the Western type of food has been embraced wholeheartedly.  

To helps us make an informed choice, the Mediterranean and Western type of diets are discussed below.

Mediterranean Type of Diet

The Mediterranean diet is a healthy diet inspired by the eating habits of people who live near the Mediterranean Sea. It is mainly based on the cuisines of the countries of Greece, Italy, France and Spain, Turkey, the Balkans, the Middle East, North Africa and Portugal.

The core aspects of this diet include a high consumption of olive oil, legumes, unrefined cereals, fruits, and vegetables, moderate to high consumption of fish, moderate consumption of dairy products (mostly as cheese and yogurt), moderate wine consumption, and moderate consumption of non-fish meat products.

Following years of study with numerous populations in different Mediterranean countries, it has been noticed that people who conformed more to this traditional diet displayed: better life expectancy; lower chronic disease rates; lower cancer rates and better heart health.

Western Type of Diet

The Western type diet is a modern dietary habit that is generally characterized by high intakes of ultra-processed foods, refined grains, red meat, processed meat, high-sugar drinks, candy and sweets, fried foods, animal products, butter and other high-fat dairy products, eggs, potatoes, high-fructose corn syrup, and low intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, pasture-raised animal products, fish, nuts, and seed. The Western diet is associated with poorer health. Increasing evidence shows that the Western style of diet is associated with higher risks of cardiovascular disease and obesity.